Macon County's median household income rose to an estimated $60,822 in 2024, up 33% from $45,717 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's latest county income and poverty estimates.
The gain beat inflation. Adjusted with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, the 2019 median equals about $56,100 in 2024 dollars, so the county's gain works out to about 8% after inflation. Missouri's median rose 25% over the same years, to $71,583, a gain of less than 2% after inflation.
The county still trails the state. Macon County's median was about 85% of Missouri's in 2024, up from about 80% in 2019.
The figures come from the bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program, which models yearly estimates for every county by combining survey data with population estimates and administrative records, according to the bureau. Federal programs use the estimates to allocate money to local governments and school districts. The 2024 figures are the latest the program has published, and each year's figure is in that year's dollars.
Each estimate carries a margin of error. The bureau puts Macon County's 2024 median between $54,608 and $67,036 at 90% confidence, and its 2019 median between $41,923 and $49,511. The two ranges do not overlap, but the gain after inflation could be smaller or larger than 8%.
About 1,786 Macon County residents, or 12%, lived below the federal poverty line in 2024, according to the estimates, compared with 12.5% in 2019. The statewide rate was 12.2%. Among children 17 and younger, the county's poverty rate was 16.6%, down from 18.4%. Both poverty changes fall within the estimates' margins of error.
The bureau's separate American Community Survey, which pools responses over five years, put the county's median household income at $62,357 for 2020 through 2024, with a margin of error of $5,108.
Macon County ranked fourth among the eight counties in its area, itself and the seven that border it. Chariton County had the highest 2024 median, $68,312, followed by Monroe County at $63,949 and Randolph County at $61,452. Below Macon County were Adair County at $58,548, Linn County at $57,520, Knox County at $56,319, and Shelby County at $55,114. All eight remained below the statewide median.
Adair County's median grew fastest since 2019, up 36%, followed by Chariton and Knox counties at 35%. Monroe County's rose 32%, Randolph County's 28%, and Linn County's 26%. Shelby County's rose 20%, the least of the eight, and it was the only one whose median did not keep pace with inflation.
Adair County had the highest poverty rate of the eight in 2024, 21.9%. Shelby County was next at 15.6%, then Knox County at 14.7%. Randolph County was at 12.8%, Monroe County at 12.4%, and Linn County at 12.1%. Chariton County had the lowest rate, 11.7%.